/ FEDERATION OF ASSOCIATIONS OF FORMER INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SERVANTS
FÉDÉRATION DES ASSOCIATIONS DES ANCIENS FONCTIONNAIRES INTERNATIONAUX
FEDERACION DE ASOCIACIONES DE EX-FUNCIONARIOS INTERNACIONALES
40th Session of the FAFICS Council
Geneva, 4-7 July 2011

Council 40/2011/D.13/Add 1

Advocacy efforts by FAFICS in support of the Ideals and Work of the UN System Organizations

ROTATION OF FUNCTIONS OF FOCAL POINT

FOR REPORTING ON ADVOCACY ACTIVTIES

Note by AFICS-NY

23 June 2011

  1. In light of the volume of documentation before the FAFICS Council for consideration each year, AFICS/NY was made responsible in 2008 for consolidating and summarizing the reports that were submitted by member associations on their advocacy efforts in support of the ideals and work of the United Nations system organizations. In this connection, the President of FAFICS would send reminder letters to member associations requesting their submissions which would be forwarded to AFICS/NY for consolidation and summarization. AFICS/NY has undertaken this task for the last three years.
  1. In light of the workload that AFICSNY has with respect to other reports for the annual FAFICS Council, namely those on: (a) representation of FAFICS and on FAFICS activities as an NGO in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council; (b) the Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC (CoNGO); and (c) the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs, AFICS/NY proposes that the focal point function be rotated among member associations that have the capacity to assume that responsibility.
  1. In order to clarify the different types of activities carried out by member associations and their members, and to facilitate the reporting thereon by member associations, promotion/advocacy and other activities are described in the annex. The Council may also wish to decide on the type of activities to be reported to it for consideration each year.
  1. AFICS/NY, as the substantive arm of FAFICS in New York, will continue, however, to act as focal point for the consolidation and summarization of reports from member associations for the FAFICS Quadrennial Report (the next one will be for the years 2011-2014). The Quadrennial Report is submitted every four years to the Economic and Social Council Committee on NGOs which meets in New York. AFICS/NY also represents FAFICS in that Committee when it meets twice a year to consider new and deferred NGOs and to review quadrennial reports.

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Annex: Promotion and advocacy activities

  1. References to “promotion” and “advocacy” are often interchangeable. There is, however, a difference between “promotion” and “advocacy”. “Promoting” implies action taken, in the case of AFICS/FAFICS, to further the cause of the United Nations – disseminating information, sharing information, speaking engagements to talk about the work of the United Nations system, etc. Promotional activities, aim to increase awareness, knowledge and understanding.
  1. “Advocacy”, on the other hand, generally represents a series of actions taken to change the “what is” into “what should be” in terms of, for instance, current economic and social policies, status of international instruments, progress towards reduction of poverty, elimination of discrimination, increasing literacy, preventing environmental degradation, better health for all, etc. Advocacy also attempts to influence decision-making, public-policy, global consensus, resource allocation etc.
  1. The UN, for instance, advocates for human rights, international peace and security, sustainable development, protection of the environment, gender equality, rule of law, disarmament etc. – its programmes and projects aim to change “what is” into “what should be”. The Department of Public Information, within the United Nations, on the other hand, promotes global awareness of the ideals and work of the Organization, through its news and radio services, print, television, websites, video-conferencing and other information technology etc.
  1. Activities of FAFICS/AFICS include those related to both promotion and advocacy. Member associations and their members continually promote the ideals of the United Nations system by disseminating information to the public about the work that is being undertaken – through bulletins, newsletters, websites, speaking engagements, panels/seminars that are convened to discuss global issues, speaking engagements, teaching, etc.
  1. Current efforts by AFICS/NY and FAFICS to collaborate with other NGOs to ensure that the question of the elderly be mainstreamed and be reflected in an international instrument on the elderly (should such an instrument be developed), are examples of advocacy – actions to change how the issue of the elderly should be considered. The research that AFUS/AAFU undertakes and the study groups it convenes, together with issuance of findings are another example of advocacy since it is intended that such work will contribute to the global debate and influence decision-making (not just disseminating information for increasing awareness and understanding). Another example is the work AAFI-AFICS does, in the form of organizing a panel to discuss the long life development for older persons, in order to advance the Global Agenda on Ageing and contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and follow-up. Participation in activities to observe international days is also an example of advocacy, although in a somewhat passive way, but nevertheless supporting efforts to change “what is” into “what should be”.
  1. Other work, not necessarily promotion or advocacy on behalf of the United Nations organizations, are carried out by AFICS members to help better the lives of those less fortunate, indirectly supporting the ideals of the United Nations organizations – collecting clothing for refugees, rebuilding schools following a natural disaster, financial support to those (not members) in need of help, etc. . .

Reports of member associations for item on advocacy activities to the FAFICS Council

  1. When reporting on promotion/advocacy and other activities, member associations of FAFICS may wish to consider the following activities, whether carried out by the associations themselves or by individual members :
  1. Any of the activities that are described below for preparation of the Quadrennial Report;
  2. Dissemination of information on the work of the UN organizations through bulletins/periodicals/ newsletters/website/panels/seminars;
  3. Implementation of activities in communities to better the lives of those less fortunate;
  4. Working with NGOs to support the ideals of the United Nations system;
  5. Presentations at pre-retirement seminars and orientation courses; mentoring new staff members; speaking engagements on behalf of the UN organizations; presentations to junior diplomats on legislative policies and procedures;
  6. Teaching and/or mentoring at universities on United Nations related issues;
  7. Volunteering at events organized by the United Nations organizations;
  8. Financial support by Charities Foundations/Benevolent Funds established by member associations, to activities of United Nations organizations, including humanitarian crises.

Quadrennial report

  1. Guidelines for preparation of the FAFICS Quadrennial Report to the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs describe activities that contribute to the work of the United Nations as those that:
  1. advance the achievement of the development agenda of ECOSOC and the United Nations at large. It is noted, at the same time, that this applies mostly to NGOs that actually have, as part of their mandate, specific programmes and projects that are implemented, for example, to improve education for children, to provide shelter for needy families, to combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases, etc;
  2. relate to participation in intergovernmental for a, including oral and written statements, organization of parallel NGO events;
  3. reflect cooperation with United Nations bodies or specialized agencies, including preparation of, or contribution to, research papers and studies, joint sponsorship of meetings, humanitarian activities or operational projects, or financial assistance received from or given to the United Nations; and
  4. support the MDGs, including observation of international days.
  1. The guidelines also allow for other information that can be shared with the ECOSOC Committee on NGOs. FAFICS has decided to include information on its work with other NGOs and on teaching/

training and mentoring on United Nations related issues.

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